news and blog

Hopefully by now everyone will know that next year we will all be facing a once in a generation change to our data protection law. Come 25th May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come in to force and while that still seems a while away there’s a lot to do and it will be here before you know it.

There are 168 hours in each week, which sounds like a lot, but in reality they whizz by so quickly! How do we find time for what matters most? While many of us would admit that from time to time we struggle to find that work life balance, managing priorities at work can be a whole new challenge. Looking from a management point of view, time management and prioritising workload may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques. These skills are like a pair of shoes — you may have to try several before you find the one that is the right fit for you.

We have gathered some tips which may help you support your staff take a smarter approach to managing their time.

So you’ve invested lots of time in perfecting the job description and person specification, crafting a pithy advert, and paying to advertise in just the right place. You’ve shortlisted the best applications, put an interview panel together, and grilled your candidates.You’ve chosen your successful candidate, they’ve handed in their notice, and you have waited a month for them to start. The whole process has taken at least 8 weeks, probably more. You have had to take a day out for shortlisting and a day out for interviews. Your team has been one person short for a month and you are all feeling the pressure. After a long wait, your new team member is finally here and you are so excited to get started! But slowly, you begin to realise that they are not the right person for job and you are going to have to start all over again.

Getting the right person with the right skills at the right time is something that we see our customers struggle with on a regular basis. Recruiting the wrong person can be costly and time-consuming, not only in terms of the recruitment process itself but also what comes after, with inadequate selection processes increasing the likelihood of employers will experience issues with performance, conduct or attendance.

With LinkedIn usefully reminding me that my five year work anniversary is approaching I was prompted to write down some of my reflections about work over these years. This was combined with a colleague chatting to me about my journey from HR Administrator to HR Consultant and so here I am!

This month we are looking at how organisations can be affected by times of uncertainty. One of the biggest challenges of our generation is Brexit but we are finally starting to get a bit of clarity around what this means for legislation, particularly around employment.

On 21 June 2017, the Queen’s Speech set out details of legislation that the government intends to carry over into, or introduce in, the 2017-19 Parliamentary session.

The things you need to know are:

National living wage. The national living wage (NLW) will increase to 60% of median earnings by 2020. After 2020, the NLW will continue to rise in line with average earnings.

Immigration. The Immigration Bill, covering the whole of the UK, will establish a new national policy on immigration, including new powers concerning the immigration status of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. The Bill will allow the government to repeal EU law on immigration, primarily free movement.

Data protection. A new Data Protection Bill will make the UK’s data protection framework fit for the digital age and give individuals more control over their data, including the right to be forgotten. It will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 and implement the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Gender pay gap and discrimination. The government states that it intends to make further progress in tackling the gender pay gap and reducing discrimination on all grounds although no new measures were announced.

This legislation will impact on organisations differently dependent on the size and make up of your workforce. Some of these changes will not come into force immediately but its important to be aware of these and the change in your obligations so you can plan ahead and not get caught out.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines lone workers as those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. There is no general legal prohibition on lone working but the broad duties of health and safety legislation apply.

The Government has introduced several new changes to employment law in 2017, with a number of these commencing at the beginning of April with the start of the new financial year:

​The Trade Union Act 2016 requires 50% turnout for a ballot on strike action to be valid. 40% support across the whole membership is now required to take action in certain sectors (education, border security, transport, health and “fire”). Unions will also be required to give more notice of any proposed industrial action (14 days instead of the current 7).

There is now a requirement for organisations with more than 250 staff to provide annual calculations showing the pay differential between their male and female staff. More information on this can be found on the Acas website.

The introduction of a new apprenticeship levy of 0.5% of their annual pay bill for organisations with a payroll of greater than £3m per year. More information is available here.

An increase in the charges for sponsoring skilled workers under tier 2 of the points based system.

There have also been the normal annual increases to statutory payments (maternity/paternity/adoption, sick pay, national living and minimum wages), details of which are available here.

Additionally, although changes to the General Data Protection Regulations are not due to come in until 2018, the Information Commissioners Office has published some guidance for employers on the steps that they should take now to prepare for this.This guidance can be found here.